INTRO.- Let me name some people to see your reaction in regard to whether you believe them or not. Please give me thumbs up or thumbs down, depending on whether you believe them or not or believe in them; good, bad or otherwise.
- Donald Trump (Mr. Combover. He talks a lot)
- Bill Gates (He knows about computers and how to make money)
- Will Rogers (Great humorist in his day!)
- Tiger Woods (debatable after all of his women flings)
- Billy Graham (man of faith, consistent, faithful, amazing)
- Jimmy Carter (good man, not sure about his presidency)
- Tim McGraw and Faith Hill (good country singers and married and Christian)
- Oprah Winfrey (knows how to make money)
Can you believe in someone without believing something they say? Maybe. I’ve heard a number of preachers that I believed in but I didn’t always believe everything they preached.
Acts 17:11 “Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.”
I think perhaps the Bereans believed in the apostle Paul very much but they still checked with the scriptures to see if what he was saying or preaching was true.
Yes, you can believe in someone without believing every word they say. And this brings to our text. John says do not believe every spirit. Or don’t believe what every person is saying, teaching, or preaching. Why? Because we believe in Christ and many who don’t believe preach a false message about life. We must cling to God, His Word and what His people are saying.
PROP.- Think about what God says about true believers versus false believers and how to overcome the false.
1- We should refuse false prophets
2- We should recognize true believers
3- We should realize true power
I. WE SHOULD REFUSE FALSE PROPHETS
1Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
Who are you listening to? Whose stuff are you buying? Are you sure? And do you believe EVERY PERSON who speaks, teaches or preaches?
ILL.- One time I went to drive a used car in our area. I knew very well the car that I was looking at. When I asked three specific questions, the salesman answered me, but was wrong every time. Now either he didn’t know his product or else he was lying to me to influence me to buy the car.
We need to be careful who we’re listening to in this world and especially, when it comes to matters of eternity!
ILL.- We all heard that Oral Roberts passed away in December of 2009 from complications with pneumonia. He was 91 years old. What a past he’s had and mainly as an evangelist, a revivalist, and a tent evangelist in years gone by. REMEMBER THOSE EARLY DAYS WHEN HE WAS ON TV AS A HEALING PREACHER?
He would say, “Put your hand on the TV screen and be healed.” I believed him and tried it because I didn’t like my nearsighted vision. However, I still have my nearsighted vision.
What’s the problem? Could Oral Roberts not heal me? No, he couldn’t, because we know that only God heals people. Even Oral Roberts said that, although he was still tagged a healing preacher. Was my faith not strong enough back then to be healed?
It may have had something to do with it, because whenever I put my hand on that TV screen I made sure that no one in the house was watching me!
Roberts felt called to build an enormous hospital complex that was to marry prayer and medicine, anchored by a 60-story tower. The project collapsed in the late 1980s and left the school with staggering debt. Then there was Roberts' widely ridiculed proclamation that God would "call me home" if he failed to meet a fundraising goal of $8 million. I think he got $9 million for the project.
When Roberts made this prediction it left a lot of people feeling like, “Come on now! Who are you kidding?”
His true followers, however, supported him and sent money, but many people thought that was the straw that broke the camel’s back. It made many people think that Roberts was just a false prophet. I THINK THOUGHT WAY TOO.
However, God is His judge just as God will be our judge. All I know is this: He did do a lot of good and he did preach Jesus Christ as the only Savior of the world. I can’t argue with that even though I could disagree with some of his doctrine.
1Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
There are many false prophets in the world and not all of them are in church pulpits. Many are on TV supposedly giving advice to the world. So how do we test the spirits? There is really only one way and that’s with the Word of God.
Does what they teach, preach or spout stack up with God’s Word? Or is it against God’s Word? You can’t always trust Oprah, Dr. Phil or Judge Judy but you can trust God in His Word!
3but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
If a person doesn’t acknowledge Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living then that person is not from God and can’t be believed!
5They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them.
Worldly people listen to worldly people. Christians listen to Christians and most of the time we can tell the difference! In our listening we must be discerning.
II. WE SHOULD RECONGIZE TRUE BELIEVERS
2This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God.
Do you know a CHRISTIAN when you meet one?
ILL.- When a Hindu woman was converted to Christ she suffered much persecution from her unbelieving husband. When the preacher asked her what she did when her husband became angry, she said, “Well, I cook his food better. When he complains I sweet the floor cleaner. And when he speaks unkindly, I answer him mildly. I try to show him that when I became a Christian I became a better wife and a better mother.” GOOD ACTIONS ON HER PART.
I try to show that I became a better person. How can we know a person is a Christian? Sometimes their actions and/or behavior tells a lot. We might say, “He or she is sure nice. They must be a Christian.” And it could be true, but it’s not always true.
There are many good people in the world who don’t know the Lord or have trusted Him as their Savior. But good actions or Christian behavior is a good indicator.
Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God.
If a person confesses Christ unashamedly, then that is a pretty good indicator of their faith. If a person doesn’t believe in Christ they certainly won’t confess Him. They may curse with His name, but they won’t confess His name.
ILL.- Joni Eareckson told about a botique owner where she shopped. "My God!" exclaimed the boutique owner, a tall, blonde woman with a German accent. "It would look absolutely great on you!" She held up the jacket on its hanger, twirling it so I could see the back.
"Oh, do you know him, too?" I asked, matching her energy with a big smile. "Who?" she wrinkled her forehead. "God. You mentioned him. The way you said his name, I thought you might know him." "Me? Nah!" she scoffed. "I did that whole God thing many years ago. I don't need him. I have myself."
That did it. As she took my charge card from my wallet and rang up the sale, I squeezed in as much testimony as I could. By the time I wheeled out the door with my purchase on my lap, Anushka still wasn't convinced. But she did promise to read the Joni book, if I brought back a copy in German.
II Timothy 1:7-8 “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner.”
I appreciate Christians who are not afraid to confess their faith in Christ in a crowd at work or at the ball park, etc. Such people are true light in this dark world.
And because we have God’s Spirit within we should not be ashamed to testify or witness or speak up for Christ! And this is one way to tell if a person is a Christian or not.
III. WE SHOULD REALIZE TRUE POWER
4You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 6We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.
Inner Strength
If you can start the day without caffeine,
If you can get going without pep pills,
If you can always be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains,
If you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles,
If you can eat the same food every day and be grateful for it,
If you can understand when your loved ones are too busy to give you any time,
If you can take criticism and blame without resentment
If you can ignore a friend's limited education and never correct him,
If you can resist treating a rich friend better than a poor friend,
If you can conquer tension without medical help,
If you can relax without liquor,
If you can sleep without the aid of drugs,
THEN YOU ARE WHAT? You are spiritually strong. No, You Are Probably The Family Dog!
Truthfully, it could be that any HUMAN person with these abilities would be spiritually strong! I think we all recognize that in time physical strength wanes or leaves us. But even though we age we can become stronger because of Him who lives within us.
4You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
Greater is He who lives within us. Who’s that? The Spirit of Christ within us!
II Timothy 1:7 “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”
The spirit who lives within us is a spirit of power. We may not personally feel very stronger BUT HE IS! And He lives within us! And only as we allow Him to work in us can we be strong.
ILL.- George Muller (September 27, 1805 – March 10, 1898), though a man always of delicate physical constitution, began evangelistic tours at the age of seventy. For over 17 years, traveling an equivalent of eight times around the world, he continued to carry much of the responsibilities of the orphanages—until beyond age ninety.
As a young man, Muller’s frequent and serious illness had apparently disqualified him from military duty. Many people thought he would die early or hopelessly succumb to disease. Yet at age 92, he said: “I have been able, every day and all the day, to work, and with that ease as seventy years ago.”
He ascribed his marvelous preservation to three causes:
(1) The exercising himself to have always a conscience void of offense, both toward God and toward men.
(2) To the love he felt for the Scriptures, and the constant recuperative power they exercised upon his whole being.
Proverbs 4:20-22 “My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a man's whole body."
(3) To the happiness he felt in God and His work, which relieved him of all anxiety and needless wear and tear in his labors.
Could it be? Could it be that the reason he was so strong and lived so long was because of Him who lived within? Greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world.
CONCLUSION-------------------
Do you hear them calling? Who’s calling?
Prov. 1:10 “My son, if sinners entice you, do not give in to them.”
Sinners in every sphere of society are calling to us who are in Christ in order to dupe us, deceive us and damn us with them.
They are calling from the TV, from the movies, from the news, from politics, from the schools, and EVEN FROM SOME PULPITS!
But John is clear in our text. Do not believe every spirit. Believe only those who truly confess Jesus Christ. Otherwise, refuse to listen. Realize the power of God in you and live only for Christ!
